Qualifications Diploma in Beverage Packaging (Beer) Unit 1.4 Small Pack Operations Theory and Practice of Filling Technology Learning Material © Institute of Brewing and Distilling 2011 DIPLOMA IN PACKAGING (BEER) - MODULE 1 1.4.3.2 Glass bottle filling: UNIT 1.4: Small Pack Operations • Pre-evacuation • Short tube and long tube filling ELEMENT 1.4.3: Theory and Practice of Filling • Fill height control Technology. • Burst bottle procedures (see also 1.4.7.2) • Safety ABSTRACT: This section provides information on the filling • Common filling problems, reasons and of small pack containers. It introduces the basic theory remedies behind the process as well as introducing different filler types for associated packages. 1.4.3.3 PET bottle filling: LEARNING OUTCOMES: On completion of this unit you will • CO2 flushing be able to: • Key differences with glass bottle filling Common filling problems, reasons and 1. Understand the theory behind the filling process • remedies 2. Comprehend the principles behind different types bottle and can fillers. 1.4.3.4 Can filling: 3. Understand the history and basic technology behind in-package ‘widgets’. • CO2 flushing • Key differences with glass bottle filling SYLLABUS. • Common filling problems, reasons and remedies 1.4.3.1 Filling theory and principles: 1.4.3.5 Sterile and aseptic filling: • Specific issues for beer: - Head retention • Reasons for sterile or aseptic filling (for - Damaging effects of oxygen treatment of beer prior to filling see 1.2.4) - Key issues for filler design and operation • Primary materials preparation • The filling cycle • Filler enclosures • Fillers: • Sterilizing the filler - Mechanical • Process controls and procedures - Electro-pneumatic - Volumetric 1.4.3.6 Widget technology: • Purpose of widgets and their development • Widget theory and operating principles • Types of widgets for cans and bottles • Issues associated with widget technology 2 Diploma in Beverage Packaging (Beer) Element 1.4.3 Theory and Practice of Filling Technology 1.4.3.1 Filling Theory and principles: swept at high level onto a conveyor. Introduction Unpacker During this operation bottles are removed from crates or A small pack operation refers to the packaging of any cartons. This can be done using a reciprocal, continuous container from which you can directly consume a product. (vertical or horizontal) or robotic machine. The heads can In 2003 the Irish and British small pack only represented be fitted with clamps or inflatable tulips (so called as they 25% and 43% of the market respectively. In these markets are tulip-shaped). The tulips fit over the bottles and are draught beers are more popular but they are declining at inflated in order that they may be lifted. In some cases the rate of about 1% per annum. In Western Europe and automatic bottle sorters are installed after the unpacker. Russia, small pack represents 78% and 93% of the market respectively and South Africa 94% – a very different picture. Washer/Rinser Depending on the operation a rinser or washer or, indeed, Small pack is produced in glass, metal or plastic. A very a combination of both maybe used. The washer will be small quantity has recently been produced in Tetra Pak type used for returnable bottles and is usually double ended i.e. board but the beer contains very little gas. bottles enter one end and exit the other end. If a line is for non-returnable bottles a rinser will be used and it is normal In order to produce package beer in its basic form, a filler to install it as a ‘monobloc’ or in combination with the will be required. The oldest form of filler was the siphon filler. If both returnable and non-returnable bottles are type and the label was applied by hand. Siphon filling was used both a rinser and washer maybe installed and then manual in operation and a bulb was used to create the flow the appropriate machine is by-passed. into the bottle. The beer at this stage was not carbonated but was primed to allow a secondary fermentation to take Filler and Crowner place in the bottle, so giving it the condition required for A mechanical or electro-pneumatic filler could be used. The serving. The prime had to be calculated against the time of sizing will be appropriate to the line size and in cases where the year to give perfect and naturally conditioned beer over there is no tunnel pasteurizer will be the core machine. If a 14 to 21 day period. It is still possible to purchase the filler is filling sterile beer it will probably be enclosed in naturally conditioned beer but it will now be bottled using a a ‘clean room’. counter-pressure filler on a more modern line. The typical situation would be beer at 4°C and 5.5 g/l CO2; As filling techniques became faster and more sophisticated, this would require a 144 valve filling machine for filling 275 inevitably other machinery which supplied and took ml bottles at 60,000 bph. containers to and from the filler also became necessary and had to keep pace. For example, basket type pasteurizers Fillers are produced in a range of diameters and pitches were introduced for bright beer that required a good shelf between valves as are crowners. The filler above could life when exported. This could no longer be a batch process have a pitch of 94 mm and the crowner would match this. for the sake of speed, and this then led to the development A crowner to match this filler would have 24 heads. of in-package or tunnel pasteurizers as we know them today. Can Fillers and Seamers are also produced in a range of diameters and pitches between valves. With the introduction of non-returnable bottles, cans and now PET bottles, lines become faster and more complex. A A typical Filler Seamer combination for filling 330 ml cans typical line would be made up of the following: with beer at 4°C and 5.5 g/l CO2 at 90,000 cph would be a 150 valve filler and an 18 head Seamer, both at 90 mm Depalletizer pitch. These can operate at high or low level. High level depalletisers are faster as the cycle time is shorter. Tunnel Pasteurizer Depalletizing can be for crates, cartons or bulk delivery. For If the product is not sterile (i.e. treated through the use of crates each layer on the pallet is normally clamped by a sterile filtration or plate pasteurization) a tunnel head and lifted onto a table from where they are driven pasteurizer will be used to pasteurizer the beer in package. onto a conveyor and orientated with the narrow edge Due to the necessity to keep the pasteurizer full it is often leading in preparation for decrating. The motion can either the core machine on the line. be reciprocal between columns or robotic. For bulk delivery of new bottles, each layer can be clamped using a Labeller pneumatic cushion and lifted onto a conveyor, or more The labeller maybe wet glue for paper or self-adhesive for commonly swept at high level onto a conveyor. Cans are pressure sensitive labeling (PSL). Wet glue labelers can run Dipl.Pack Revision Notes v2 October 2011 3 at speeds of up to 1200bpm, where as self -adhesive twice which will give a 99% pure CO 2 gas in the bottle labelers may run up to 800bpm. before filling. It is possible on electroni c fillers to have three pre-evacuations but this is not normally used Packer because: The crating operation is identical to the crating operation, only in reverse. 1. There is a reduction of filling capacity of the filler, and therefore output Multiple Packaging 2. The gain is only 0.9% CO 2 purity which is not really Packaging into crates is only suitable for the returnable significant trade. Multiple packaging, which is often referred to as soft packaging, is suitable for one trip packaging, and is Flushing with CO 2, as is the case for PET and cans, will extensively used to sell the product. Kraft and corrugated generally give a result above 90% CO 2 purity, but it will be board, and plastic are used in different forms in order to lower than that achieved with the pre -evacuation of glass collate the containers into 4s 6s 8s 10s 12s 15s etc and bottles. these in turn are packed into a units of, normally, 24 or 30. 1.4.3.2 Class Bottle Filling : Palletizer The reciprocal and robotic palletisers are similar to the When filling beer into glass bottles, therefore, a pre - depalletisers. High level palletisers will also operate faster. evacuation o r flushing facility will be required. It is also The issue with high level palletisers is being able to feed possible to limit oxygen uptake by using a long tube rather them faster enough. As a result, twin lane feeds are often than short tube filler. used . The pallet is on a lowerator, and as it receives each layer, the pallet moves down to receive the next one. With a long tube filler, the beer is filled from the bottom of Hydraulic lowerators are faster than their mechanical the bottle and then rises gently with only the top surface in equivalent but it means digging a hole in the floor to accept contact with the gas space in the bottle. the hydraulic cylinder. Low le vel palletisers require more mechanical effort in order to lift each layer and sweep it With a short tube filler, the beer flows down the outside of onto the top of the pallet.